My thanks to Irregular Debo for forwarding the poster below. He writes:

A small firestorm erupted in the gun-owner community in Texas this past weekend. Visitors to the Austin gun show were met with this flier:

Calls to talk shows created a firestorm. Texas firearms forums are outraged that this could happen. Charles Cotton, attorney and head of the Texas State Rifle Association, is investigating. There is nothing illegal which would otherwise prevent selling a firearm person-to-person in Austin, TX without an FFL doing an NICS background check.

Darwin Boedeker, owner and promoter of Texas Gun Shows (http://texasgunshows.net/default.aspx), went on the radio today for more than 2 hours to tell his side of the story about what happened. I'm pasting the show in YouTube radio broadcast segments below.

The Austin PD called Darwin to have a 2 hour meeting last Thursday. The building housing the gun show is owned by Wal-Mart and the primary lease holder is HEB. The HEB employee responsible for that building was there. There were several APD detectives and an ATF agent there. They told Darwin that they would like for him to follow their suggestions, which were to ban firearms sales except through FFLs. The police then threatened Darwin that there were pending investigations into his business for activity over the last 10 years of allegedly allowing sales to ineligible buyers. However, Darwin's business just started operating in Austin after a different company, Saxet Gun Shows, quit putting on shows in Austin. Darwin responded by asking them if they were aware that his company, Texas Gun Shows, is different than Saxet Gun Shows, which is who they were talking about. APD didn't even realize this and were confused for a bit. Then APD put pressure on the HEB representative, and together the APD, ATF and HEB representative told Darwin that he would not be allowed to open the show if he did not follow their recommendations, which were to create the flyer you've seen and ban sales that didn't accompany an NICS check.

APD and the ATF have no statutory authority to threaten Darwin and order him around like they did. Two of Darwin's biggest vendors canceled and he expects attendance to be down by over 50% next month. This guy needs our support. He is a 2nd Amendment supporter and is running a family business. The ATF and APD are basically destroying his business with their unlawful "suggestions". Nothing that he is doing is illegal. He is not charged with any crime, but the police are unlawfully threatening outside a court to literally shut down his business unless he does what they want. He said that he will not be able to stay in business if this continues. If you are around Austin, we need to go to the next show February 20/21 and not let them kill the Austin gun show. If you are not in Texas, be vigilant for the ATF and local police trying to do this in your town.

The police also made a big scene at the gun show to intimidate people. A vendor was placed in handcuffs by APD and lead through the crowd for everyone to see. He was taken outside but was later released and not arrested.

If you can put up with Alex Jones' sometimes factually-challenged ranting here, I urge you to listen to the substance of what Darwin Boedeker has to say about what went down. Orchestrated by ATF agent Daniel Jones (I am trying to find out if this is the same Daniel Jones who used to be SAC in Milwaukee, that is, Jody Keeku's supervisor at the time of the Olofson railroad), this exercise in extortion under color of law was carried out by Jones with APD Sergeant Fleming and Detectives Long, Russell and Vineyard (sp?) there to shine his federal jackboots. Unfortunately, although Boedecker says the gun cops taped the exchange, he did not. Big mistake, although the tape will be evidence subject to discovery -- a fascinating process that the ATF tries to avoid like the bubonic plague.

These uniformed thugs were not there enforcing the law, they were there enforcing an agenda. There will be, one can assume, all manner of blowback from gunnies in Texas and around the country about this travesty. Lawsuits beckon, I would imagine. At the very least, this is one more log on the fire of the prospects for ATF oversight hearings.

One wonders how long AD Melson will last, given this incessant drumbeat of public, private and legal agency idiocies. That forensics classroom has got to be looking mighty attractive to Melson right about now, as it increasingly dawns on him that his job consists of attempting to polish a very large and smelly turd. Indeed, the Augean stables look like child's play compared to the excrement he's being forced to shovel at ATF.

Poor AD Melson. As experienced and legally sophisticated as he thought he was, he didn't realize that he was asked to administer a "law enforcement agency" that is not governed by the law, or regulation, or common sense or even by its Acting Director, but rather by an anti-firearm agenda and the permanent mandarins of the ATF Chief Counsel's Office.

Poor man. Poor, poor man. If you listen carefully, you can hear -- in the background -- the sound of a tiny violin, playing ever-so-sadly.

28 comments:

Again, this shows that the Law Enforcement community, local, state, or federal, will not hesitate to turn on the citizens. I hope they remember that the "I was just following orders" won't work anymore.

"Two of Darwin's biggest vendors canceled and he expects attendance to be down by over 50% next month. This guy needs our support... The ATF and APD are basically destroying his business with their unlawful 'suggestions'."

A good argument can be made that the ATF and APD engaged in tortious conduct. It is reasonable to expect A Texas jury would look favorably upon the plaintiff in such a case where gun rights are threatened.

We could christen the resultant seven-figure settlement as The ATF "Darwin" Award. ;^)

Local police join the ranks of the domestics.. cause for concern, cause for investigation, cause for alarm.

It appears that the city, once thought to be in Texas, has been relocated, under cover of marxism, to somewhere unknown to Liberty minded Americans.. along with the militarization of police depts Americans should wonder about that.

The recently enacted law in California, requiring thumbprints and a identification recorded for police 'information' was bad. It is very definitely a step in the casus belli direction, but this..

This on the other hand is the US government and a local government declaring that no matter the law on the books, they ARE the law. That the citizen is not the sovereign. That our better have decided for us what is best.

This reminds me of the constant prattle of the leftists about the "gun show loophole". There is no such thing. Actually there is the GCA '68 tyranny that requires any registration of firearms, the NFA '34 tyranny that requires taxes on firearms, the FOPI '86 Hughes amendment tyranny that effectively priced those taxable firearms out of reach, but there is NO gun show loophole. It is not a loophole that allows you to obey the posted speed limit, it is tyranny that limits you to a set speed.

ME selling a firearm to YOU is private commerce, not interstate commerce. It should not be regulated at all at the federal level, as the Second Amendment allows NO infringement.

I'm not very pleased with the HEB rep, either. According to the article, there are 10 years worth of show history there.

The HEB guy could have told the thug-marionettes to take a hike but, instead, he hiked his skirt, took his "encouragement", and then dumped on Boedeker.

This whole thing can be cracked if HEB is brought into line. It was their yes or no that determined the outcome. On one side, the APD and BATFE (which, as one bumper sticker says, should be a CONVENIENCE store); on the other side, Mr. Boedeker; in the middle, casting the deciding vote - HEB.

I wonder what tune the little violin is playing? My late uncle, in talking about his European vacation in the 40s, courtesy of Uncle Sam, once used a phrase whose beauty balanced its irreverence and it has remained with me. He said that in rising up from a hillside and moving toward the top, he was deeply hoping not to hear "a Kraut playing "Come to Christ" on a Schmeisser".

May these thugs and their gutless, lickspittle vassals of the APD all come to recognize the tune. You know, Claire Wolf wrote a book ( I haven't read it ) whose subtitle was along the lines of what to do when it was too late for political solutions and too soon to start shooting the bastards. Food for thought.

One must also wonder - why our Texas brethren did not surround the local gestapo wannabes when they attempted to remove a man in cuffs. Ca it be true that even the denizens of Texas gunshows are now reduced to being sheeple? What would Travis, Bowie et al, think of it all?????j the bannedIII

This is absolutely unbelievable!I am in Austin, and I am hearing a whole lot of rumbling going on with the gun folks I know.I always wondered how they were going to try to take Texas and the gun lovers down. Obviously they are trying one step at a time. This governmental intimidation is not sitting well!

All Texans in the vicinity should get ready for the next show in Austin and arrive in big numbers. Even if you are not there to buy, trade or sell it would sure look nice to see a few thousand guys with rifles on their shoulders walking around. Give your support to the promoter and show the Austin Gestapo what happens when you turn on the people. Get the word out Texans--- let's meet up in big numbers at the next show!!!

I am not familiar with Texas law, but where I come from, if the police place you in cuffs, then you are under arrest. If there were no grounds for the arrest (ignorance of the law on their part) and they release you, then they are liable for the unlawful arrest. After all, if he did not cooperate when the cuffs were placed on him, would he not be charged with resisting arrest?

I hope the gun show vendor sues them.

Attend the gun shows but organize a boycott of HEB. They do not want nor do they deserve your business.

"Watching the TV coverage of Scott Brown's victory speech, and there are at least three III-Nyberg flags being waved around."

I saw that too and those flags along with Brown's stunning and prophetic victory were the most encouraging things I've seen in... a year.

Somebody's got to make the first move. Somehow, somewhere, a stand must be taken.

This Fort Sumpter injunction is the correct theory but, as long as we have an open ended debate about exactly what "casus belli" is, they can keep the incremental intimidation going. The result: we are paralyzed with fear and uncertainty, unable to determine the line in the sand, isolated and unsure of our support.

As someone said above, this happened in Texas?

We are awaiting leadership and unity. All the blog posts and comments threads on the interwebtubes, as important as these have been, will not ignite the spark... quite the opposite one could argue.

Straightarrow, You wrote (at 1:41): "I suppose we still can't say they have fired on Ft. Sumpter?" I believe your heart's in the right place, but the "they" who fired on Ft. Sumter were the Secesh on the on the Charleston waterfront. Their purpose was to drive off ships of the invader who were trying to reinforce and resupply the fort preparatory to an expected seige by our Good Guys.

We understand their agenda. We know them for what they are. They have and will continue to play these little games.

What the ATF and local police departments in TX and elsewhere must be prepared for is this; we understand your games of intimidation and threats, and we will not allow our Republic to become a progressive/socialist state.

Consider carefully any thoughts of switching from games of intimidation and threats, to taking the life of an American during a stupid attempt to push your agenda. Don't do it. You will not be allowed to murder freely again.

Yes, Flavet, I know that. My point is that we are the union and they are its destroyers. They have fired on us, the union, they have started the proceedings.

Everybody assumes "no more Ft. Sumters" means if we open fire we are firing on Ft. Sumter. My position is we would be firing FROM Ft. Sumter at those trying to overthrow our legitimate union.

Therefore, THEY have fired on Ft. Sumter. We are the defenders of the republic they are its ambitious destroyers.

We are not the revolutionaries nor rebels. We are the restorers. And currently we are on an island surrounded by those who would destroy our nation. We are the defenders of Ft. Sumter, not its attackers, as our current mantra seems to suggest.

What Does It Mean To Be A "Three Percenter"?

These four principles -- moral strength, physical readiness, no first use of force and no targeting of innocents -- are the hallmarks of the Three Percent ideal. Anyone who cannot accept them as a self-imposed discipline in the fight to restore the Founders' Republic should find something else to do and cease calling themselves a "Three Percenter."

No, I'm NOT Charlie. I am ARMED.

Edmund Burke reconsidered in the light of 20th Century funeral pyres.

"Remember: Evil exists because good men don't kill the government officials committing it." -- Kurt Hofmann.

The Nyberg Battle Flag of the Three Percent

This time we are ALL Davidians. This time, we are all Jews, Kulaks, "counter-revolutionists" and "enemies of the state." We are now a despised minority within a country no longer our own.BUT WE WILL NOT BE DESPISED.

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Advice on child rearing from my son.

Everyone should grow up with simulated equipment from a heavy weapons platoon. It gives you a more well rounded education and an appreciation for the finer things in life. -- Sergeant Matthew Vanderboegh, United States Army.

"Progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress."

I believe that liberty is the only genuinely valuable thing that men have invented, at least in the field of government, in a thousand years. I believe that it is better to be free than to be not free, even when the former is dangerous and the latter safe. I believe that the finest qualities of man can flourish only in free air – that progress made under the shadow of the policeman's club is false progress, and of no permanent value. I believe that any man who takes the liberty of another into his keeping is bound to become a tyrant, and that any man who yields up his liberty, in however slight the measure, is bound to become a slave. -- H.L. Mencken

On the efficacy of passive resistance in the face of the collectivist beast. . .

Had the Japanese got as far as India, Gandhi's theories of "passive resistance" would have floated down the Ganges River with his bayoneted, beheaded carcass. -- Mike Vanderboegh.

In the future . . .

When the histories are written, “National Rifle Association” will be cross-referenced with “Judenrat.” -- Mike Vanderboegh to Sebastian at "Snowflakes in Hell"

"Smash the bloody mirror."

If you find yourself through the looking glass, where the verities of the world you knew and loved no longer apply, there is only one thing to do. Knock the Red Queen on her ass, turn around, and smash the bloody mirror. -- Mike Vanderboegh

From Kurt Hoffman over at Armed and Safe.

"I believe that being despised by the despicable is as good as being admired by the admirable."

From long experience myself, I can only say, "You betcha."

"Only cowards dare cringe."

The fears of man are many. He fears the shadow of death and the closed doors of the future. He is afraid for his friends and for his sons and of the specter of tomorrow. All his life's journey he walks in the lonely corridors of his controlled fears, if he is a man. For only fools will strut, and only cowards dare cringe. -- James Warner Bellah, "Spanish Man's Grave" in Reveille, Curtis Publishing, 1947.

"We fight an enemy that never sleeps."

"As our enemies work bit by bit to deconstruct, we must work bit by bit to REconstruct. Be mindful where we should be. Set goals. We fight an enemy that never sleeps. We must learn to sleep less." -- Mike H. at What McAuliffe Said

"The Fate of Unborn Millions. . ."

"The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their Houses, and Farms, are to be pillaged and destroyed, and they consigned to a State of Wretchedness from which no human efforts will probably deliver them. The fate of unborn Millions will now depend, under God, on the Courage and Conduct of this army-Our cruel and unrelenting Enemy leaves us no choice but a brave resistance, or the most abject submission; that is all we can expect-We have therefore to resolve to conquer or die." -- George Washington to his troops before the Battle of Long Island.

"We will not go gently . . ."

This is no small thing, to restore a republic after it has fallen into corruption. I have studied history for years and I cannot recall it ever happening. It may be that our task is impossible. Yet, if we do not try then how will we know it can't be done? And if we do not try, it most certainly won't be done. The Founders' Republic, and the larger war for western civilization, will be lost.

But I tell you this: We will not go gently into that bloody collectivist good night. Indeed, we will make with our defiance such a sound as ALL history from that day forward will be forced to note, even if they despise us in the writing of it.

And when we are gone, the scattered, free survivors hiding in the ruins of our once-great republic will sing of our deeds in forbidden songs, tending the flickering flame of individual liberty until it bursts forth again, as it must, generations later. We will live forever, like the Spartans at Thermopylae, in sacred memory.

-- Mike Vanderboegh, The Lessons of Mumbai:Death Cults, the "Socialism of Imbeciles" and Refusing to Submit, 1 December 2008

"A common language of resistance . . ."

"Colonial rebellions throughout the modern world have been acts of shared political imagination. Unless unhappy people develop the capacity to trust other unhappy people, protest remains a local affair easily silenced by traditional authority. Usually, however, a moment arrives when large numbers of men and women realize for the first time that they enjoy the support of strangers, ordinary people much like themselves who happen to live in distant places and whom under normal circumstances they would never meet. It is an intoxicating discovery. A common language of resistance suddenly opens to those who are most vulnerable to painful retribution the possibility of creating a new community. As the conviction of solidarity grows, parochial issues and aspirations merge imperceptibly with a compelling national agenda which only a short time before may have been the dream of only a few. For many Americans colonists this moment occurred late in the spring of 1774." -- T.H. Breen, The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence, Oxford University Press, 2004, p.1.